As fans continue to wonder about the status of Adrian Peterson for the rest of the year, another of the Vikings’ running backs has now become a question mark as least for this week.
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Rookie running back Jerick McKinnon found himself added to the injury report Thursday after being limited in practice with a lower back ailment. McKinnon was not on Wednesday’s injury report, so this is either a new injury or a serious aggravation of a prior issue.
McKinnon’s running has been a big reason why the Vikings have been able to survive Adrian Peterson’s absence as well as they have. His status for Sunday’s game against the Bears is now in doubt.
If McKinnon can’t go, the Vikings will have to make it happen with a combination of Matt Asiata and Joe Banyard.
Had the NFLPA moved faster in forcing action by the NFL, Adrian Peterson might have been back in time for this game, but that’s all water under the bridge.
A third round pick out of Georgia Southern, McKinnon has been a huge bright spot for the Vikings through the first nine games of the season, rushing for 446 yards on 90 attempts while adding 20 receptions for 106 yards.
Matt Asiata has shown himself to be a capable short yardage back and has made the occasional big play in the passing game, but McKinnon has been truly dynamic and his loss would be a large blow to the Vikings offense.
In positive injury report news, TE Kyle Rudolph was able to fully participate in practice for the first time Thursday as he battles back from sports hernia surgery.
The Vikings have not yet made a call on whether Rudolph will play Sunday but it seems almost certain that he will suit up.